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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating peek behind mostly closed doors, 8 Jun 2003
By A Customer
Cawdor Castle? Traquair, Hopetoun and Drumlanrig? Yes, Ianthe Ruthven's book does explore half a dozen of Scotland's more famous castles and country houses, but mostly it's devoted to buildings which are strictly off the usual tourist trail. Some of these take the form of Edinburgh town houses and farmhouses and croft houses in Fife and the Highlands and Islands, but many architectural enthusiasts will doubtless be delighted to discover that most of the 176 pages of 'The Scottish House' are in fact devoted to architecturally significant homes to which the general public usually have no, or at best very limited, access. Foremost amongst these are the gloriously preserved and beautifully-sited manor house of the Earls of Perth at Stobhall, the splendidly Greek-Revival Arthur Lodge in the capital, the astonishing Cairness House in Buchan, where James Payfair's remarkable neoclassical, neogrecian and Egyptian interiors have recently been restored, and Lethaby's Arts and Crafts masterpiece at Melsetter in Orkney. The photographs of all 27 houses discussed are beautiful and enough reason alone to buy this book, though Ms Ruthven's text also provides interesting snippets of information about each, a little history, a little family history, even, here and there, a little architectural history. In truth, the text is aimed at 'the general reader' and for the specialist, be they in architecture or interior design, it is the pictures which will, first and foremost, appeal. All in all, a welcome addition to the already somewhat full bookshelf of titles devoted to the historic homes of Scotland.
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by Lesley Astaire
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